Protect Me
by NiennaAngel
Summary: SpencerxTala The two bond as Tala seeks safety in Spencer's arms and Spencer makes a promise that he can never break.
1. Chapter 1

I wasn't planning on updating tonight until I read Elemental Gypsy's "Creative Flare" in which she hints at SpencerxTala and inspiration struck in the form of a oneshot about thunderstorms and cute romance. I hope you enjoy and please review!

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Spencer stared out his bedroom window watching the storm that was raging outside. It had already knocked out the power and he was pretty sure that it had knocked over a few trees as well. He could never sleep during thunderstorms and had long since given up on trying. There wasn't anything to do but watch the light show that the storm provided until it had passed. The lightning's unpredictability and complete randomness amazed him. Even if meteorologists could predict that there would be lightning with a storm they could never tell anyone exactly where or when the lightning would strike let alone the path it would take. They were fast and if you weren't paying attention you could miss the magnificent display that they were putting on for you to see. Spencer smiled softly as another bolt of lightning struck through the sky illuminating the house's back yard easily. The flash lasted just long enough for him to know that they would be doing some serious cleaning up in their yard once the skies had cleared. 

His bedroom door opened slowly and let out a high pitched squeak that seemed too loud in the otherwise silent house. Looking up he smiled at the redhead that was creeping across his room to him and laughed when said redhead practically flew into his arms when another bolt of lightning raced across the dark skies and thunder roared only seconds later. The storm was almost directly over them so Spencer couldn't say he was surprised that his captain currently had his face buried in the elder's chest. Gently he shifted his wolf and cradled him against his larger body. "It's okay Tala. The storm can't hurt you." Tala nodded, but didn't lift his head from Spencer's chest. Laughing softly he gently slipped his fingers underneath Tala's chin and forced the wolf to look up at him. He immediately recognized the fear etched into ice blue orbs and smiled softly. "There's no reason to be afraid of a little storm Tala."

"This isn't a little storm! It's huge and it's right over our heads!" Tala's fright showed through his voice despite the training they had both received within the dark confines of the abbey's walls. Spencer kissed his captain's forehead gently before the wolf tucked his head beneath the whale's chin. "Why do you like them so much? There's nothing good about them."

"There's plenty good about them. The rain replenishes the ground's water supply and allows everything to not only survive but thrive. The lightning and thunder release the Earth's pent-up energy that would otherwise cause disasters." He chuckled when his statements did little to calm the trembling redhead as yet another bolt of lightning struck and thunder roared in the same second. "It's directly above us now. Do you want to hear a couple of stories about thunderstorms?" Tala nodded and snuggled further into his oldest teammate's embrace. "There's one that my mother used to tell me when I couldn't sleep. She was a very religious woman, but she was always willing to take a lighthearted look at it. She used to say that thunderstorms were really just God and the Devil bowling. The lightning is the path of the bowling ball and the thunder is the sound of the ball crashing into the pins. The clouds are the floor that they play on and the rain is the tears of the angels and demons. Every time God gets a strike the demons cry, but every time the Devil gets a strike the angels cry. The reason that the rain doesn't let up is because when God and the Devil bowl against one another they always get strikes and neither ever wins, because if one side would win then the other would disappear and you can't have good without evil."

Tala laughed a bit at the story. "That's stupid Spence. Did you actually believe that story?"

Spencer laughed and ran his fingers through Tala's shower dampened hair. The wolf had been in the middle of his shower when the power had gone out. "If I had told you that when you were six you would have believed it just like I did. I always thought that my mother knew everything. She always had an answer to my questions even if it was a completely ridiculous one. Do you want to hear another story?" Tala nodded his confirmation as his body's trembling began to slow. "There's a story that says that lightning storms represent the battle between good and evil. During dark nights where not even the stars and moon can shine light on the world the lightning fights the battle they are kept from. When the clouds block out the moon and stars, the lightning picks up the slack and illuminates the world as best it can against the repressive darkness. It will never truly win this battle just as the moon and stars can never win. The only thing that can win against the night is the sun, but the sun eventually loses to the powers of darkness at the end of the day again. It's a never ending struggle that keeps the world balanced and prevents either good or evil from getting the upper hand."

Tala nuzzled Spencer's chest gently. "I like that one better. It makes more sense." Spencer gently massaged the back of Tala's head with his fingertips before letting them slip down below Tala's jaw to tilt his face up and look him in the eye. "What?" Spencer kissed the wolf's nose gently causing Tala to wrinkle his nose. "You're being affectionate tonight" he whispered as he tucked his head back beneath his blonde's chin.

"I worry about you Tala. I really do. Out of all of us you're the one with the most scars left. It scares me that you still come running to me when it starts to storm. I feel like there's nothing I'll ever be able to do to help you and I don't like feeling helpless." Spencer gently squeezed his captain.

"This helps. It helps to be able to come to you and curl up in your arms for awhile. Nothing bad can happen to me so long as I'm in your arms. It's been that way ever since that first night you protected me from Boris. You kept me curled up in your arms all night because you knew that Boris wouldn't come after me if you were around. He wanted me to feel like I was alone and you wouldn't let him do that. You've always protected me Spencer. As long as you continue to do that you'll be helping me. I need you to keep protecting me." Tala's fingers curled around the fabric of Spencer's shirt tightly as Spencer's arms shifted so that he could pick up the much lighter wolf. The blond Russian carried his captain over to his bed and curled up with him beneath the covers. "I thought you couldn't sleep during storms."

"I can't, but that doesn't mean that you can't get some sleep somewhere more comfortable than the window bench. Close your eyes and try to get some sleep. I'll be here watching over you. Nothing's going to hurt you." Tala lifted his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Spencer's lips. "I love you too. Go to sleep wolf." Tala nodded and snuggled as close as he could into his boyfriend's chest. "You're never alone" were the last words the still frightened wolf heard as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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There you go! The stories about thundestorms I heard from other people and then tweaked. My best friend told me about God and the Devil. Then the other story I read somewhere, but couldn't remember the detail so I tweaked it. XD. Please review and let me know what you think! Please? 

Tala: Review so that she doesn't start crying

I'm not about to start crying

Spencer: True, but you'll cry if you don't get any reviews.

So true...


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, I couldn't resist to save my life. I got several cute stories about what people were told thunderstorms were that I just had to write a second chapter. Besides, I love this pairing. Please review and let me know what you think.

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Tala slipped silently into his boyfriend's bed terrified and shaking as a thunderstorm raged overhead. Spencer wasn't surprised by his wolf's appearance. Tala had always tried to pretend that the storms didn't bother him, but he had stopped pretending around the same time that they had gotten together. Since then he had started to either crawl into Spencer's arms or wait for Spencer to come to him. The whale's fingers slipped beneath the wolf's chin and tilted his head back so that the older blader could press a gentle kiss against the younger's lips. Tala leaned into the kiss desperate to get his mind off of the storm that was making the house moan and creak. He nearly jumped out of the bed when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree causing sparks and part of the tree to break off. Spencer's arms tightened around his boyfriend's waist and held him as Tala shook with fear. "Spencer, can you tell me stories like you did last time? I think it helped a little."

"Sure. I have several to tell. You'll find some of them a little ridiculous though." Tala buried his face in Spencer's chest as thunder roared overhead.

"I don't care. I just want something to take my mind off the storm. I hate it." Spencer placed a gentle kiss on Tala's head as he decided which story to tell first.

"The first story I can think of is about Santa Clause." Tala looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say ask if Spencer was serious. "I told you that you would find it ridiculous. Do you want to hear the story or not?" Tala nodded rapidly as his fingers began to curl and uncurl around the fabric of Spencer's shirt repeatedly. It was a nervous habit that no one but the oldest Russian got to see. "The story goes that since Santa Clause has to make all of those toys he can't possibly do them in such a short time as when little children start sending in their letters. Instead he makes them all year round because he knows what the children will want come Christmas time. The thunder is actually the sound of him moving around all the barrels and boxes that he uses to store all of the gifts to make room for new ones." Tala actually laughed despite his fear of the rampaging storm outside as he snuggled closer to Spencer's chest. "Do you want to hear a different one?"

Tala lifted his face to look into green eyes with the color and softness of moss. "Will it be equally ridiculous?" he questioned softly.

"You'll probably think so." Tala sighed relaxing slightly only to jump and cling to Spencer as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky. He clung to Spencer as tightly as he could, shaking almost as badly as the leaves on the trees outside the blonde's window. "Shh, it's okay Tala. It's alright. I'm here for you. You don't have to worry about the storm. I'll always be here to protect you. I promise you." His large hand traced lazy patterns across Tala's bare back as he waited for the wolf to calm enough to pay attention to the stories. Tala's fingers relaxed their grip slowly before taking up the pattern of curling and uncurling around Spencer's shirt. "There was another one I heard as a child beside the one about God and the Devil bowling. My mother used to tell me that God would get bored with the furniture arrangement in Heaven and would feel the need to move everything around once in a while. The thunder is the sound of the furniture scraping against the floors of heaven while the lightning is the sparks that are created when the legs of the furniture scrape against the floor."

Tala stared up at him incredulously. "You're kidding." Spencer chuckled as he shook his head and started to caress the side of his boyfriend's face. Tala rolled his eyes, but seemed to be calming despite the fact that storm hadn't let up at all outside. "Do you know anymore stories?" he queried softly as he began to drift off to sleep feeling secure in the firm embrace.

"I know one more. Would you like to hear it?" Tala nodded as he let his eyes slip shut. "There is a story about the four main angels and the competitions that they used to hold. This is similar to the one about God and the Devil bowling, but it has a little bit of a different spin. Each of the four angels had a loyal following of angels that served them and helped them do their jobs. Every now and then arguments about who was the best of the groups would break out and God would tell his angels to settle it by having a bowling competitions. So every time that happened the four angels would select their best bowlers and create a team to compete. The lightning is the path that the ball takes as he travels along the lane and hits the pins. The thunder is the applause of the angels who are winning and the rain is the tears of all the other angels that are losing." Spencer looked down at the redhead curled up against his chest and smiled softly. "Sweet dreams my love. The storm can't hurt you." The blond turned his own attention out the window as he massaged the back of Tala's head gently. He wouldn't be able to sleep for hours, but that didn't mean his boyfriend couldn't get a good night's rest.

In the morning when the storm was still raging outside the window and the young couple lie awake in bed content in each other's presence Tala thought about the storm. It really wasn't a bad thing to have storms. It was, after all, the perfect excuse to cuddle up to Spencer's strong chest and be loved away from the prying eyes of their teammates. He tilted his head back and smiled up at his older boyfriend. He thought about the word he used most often to describe what Spencer was to him. It was the perfect word to describe their current situation, but for some reason it wasn't nearly enough anymore. He wanted to be the older man's lover. It was a shame he didn't know just how to go about telling Spencer that. Spencer turned his attention to Tala and smiled softly. He pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss, but for the first time Tala realized that the blond always held back from his true desires when they kissed. "Spencer, I love you."

"I love you too Tala. I always will" Spencer whispered softly. Tala leaned into a second kiss, but Spencer pulled away after a few seconds. "Don't tempt me Tala. I don't think you're ready for that kind of relationship just yet."

Tala shook his head and shifted so that he was pressed as firmly as he could against Spencer. "I am ready. I just don't know how to say it."

Spencer ran his fingers through blood red strands. "We'll talk about it Tala. I have to be sure that you're ready. I don't want you to regret it." Tala nodded temporarily content with where things were. "I'll make love to you Tala. I just want it to be perfect for you."

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Once again, let me know if it's good, bad, or iffy. I'm always open to constructive criticism. Thank you!


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